BCWF
10-20-2016, 01:19 PM
October 20, 2016 Surrey, B.C.
The BC Wildlife Federation is encouraged that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) publicly released recommendations made in the Scientific Review of Grizzly Bear Harvest Management System in British Columbia by an expert panel consisting of Mark S. Boyce and Andrew E. Derocher, of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton and David L. Garshelis, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota in Victoria on October 18, 2016.
President of the BC Wildlife Federation Jim Glaicar said, “It is reassuring to see an independent review of the grizzly bear harvest management. The panel’s review confirms government and its stakeholders have been managing grizzly bear populations in a science-based, sustainable manner, which ensures the long term viability of the grizzly population. Further it is a welcoming observation that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) is implementing many of the panel’s recommendations.”
The review commissioned by the province concludes that hunting is not a threat to the sustainability of grizzly bears, but offered a number of suggestions to improve harvest management procedures, data collection and transparency of decisions related to hunting down to the Grizzly Bear Population Unit Level.
The BCWF agrees that deteriorating habitat conditions are the biggest threat to long term grizzly bear sustainability. We concur there is an urgent need for improved wildlife management planning to set population and habitat objectives at the Grizzly Bear Population Unit level, as well as increased research and monitoring, particularly on human bear conflict management in rural and urban interfaces including transportation corridors.
The review recommends better joint planning between government ministries such as the FLNRO and the Ministry of Environment to address the increasing pressures of expanding resource extraction and the associated road development and use that lead cumulative impacts on the landscape which jeopardizes the longer-term status of the species. The report also recommends monitoring of habitat including forage for bear, including salmon and berries that affect the productivity of bear habitats.
The BCWF is encouraged that the Province has incorporated this recommendation in their recent cumulative effects assessment of managing landscape seral stage distribution, road density and access management for grizzly bears.
The BCWF wants to see habitat impacts assessment expanded, with a formal framework implemented to better management within and between provincial, federal and state jurisdictions. First Nations were not mentioned in the report apart from harvest reporting. This is a major omission as First Nations are an essential partner in the conversation about wildlife sustainability.
To fully implement the review’s recommendations, the provincial government will have to substantially increase investment in wildlife and landscape management for bears and other species. It is critically important to the overall health of fish, wildlife and their habitat to ensure adequate funding is in place for wildlife inventories, harvest monitoring, and other supporting services.
The BCWF is recommending that the Province dedicate all hunting licence and surcharge revenue to wildlife management. Further, government should be collecting rent and dedicating a portion of it to fish and wildlife conservation. Activities such as ecotourism, wildlife viewing, mining, heli-skiing, oil and gas, and logging should all contribute to natural resource conservation
The BC Wildlife Federation is encouraged that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) publicly released recommendations made in the Scientific Review of Grizzly Bear Harvest Management System in British Columbia by an expert panel consisting of Mark S. Boyce and Andrew E. Derocher, of the Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton and David L. Garshelis, Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota in Victoria on October 18, 2016.
President of the BC Wildlife Federation Jim Glaicar said, “It is reassuring to see an independent review of the grizzly bear harvest management. The panel’s review confirms government and its stakeholders have been managing grizzly bear populations in a science-based, sustainable manner, which ensures the long term viability of the grizzly population. Further it is a welcoming observation that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations (FLNRO) is implementing many of the panel’s recommendations.”
The review commissioned by the province concludes that hunting is not a threat to the sustainability of grizzly bears, but offered a number of suggestions to improve harvest management procedures, data collection and transparency of decisions related to hunting down to the Grizzly Bear Population Unit Level.
The BCWF agrees that deteriorating habitat conditions are the biggest threat to long term grizzly bear sustainability. We concur there is an urgent need for improved wildlife management planning to set population and habitat objectives at the Grizzly Bear Population Unit level, as well as increased research and monitoring, particularly on human bear conflict management in rural and urban interfaces including transportation corridors.
The review recommends better joint planning between government ministries such as the FLNRO and the Ministry of Environment to address the increasing pressures of expanding resource extraction and the associated road development and use that lead cumulative impacts on the landscape which jeopardizes the longer-term status of the species. The report also recommends monitoring of habitat including forage for bear, including salmon and berries that affect the productivity of bear habitats.
The BCWF is encouraged that the Province has incorporated this recommendation in their recent cumulative effects assessment of managing landscape seral stage distribution, road density and access management for grizzly bears.
The BCWF wants to see habitat impacts assessment expanded, with a formal framework implemented to better management within and between provincial, federal and state jurisdictions. First Nations were not mentioned in the report apart from harvest reporting. This is a major omission as First Nations are an essential partner in the conversation about wildlife sustainability.
To fully implement the review’s recommendations, the provincial government will have to substantially increase investment in wildlife and landscape management for bears and other species. It is critically important to the overall health of fish, wildlife and their habitat to ensure adequate funding is in place for wildlife inventories, harvest monitoring, and other supporting services.
The BCWF is recommending that the Province dedicate all hunting licence and surcharge revenue to wildlife management. Further, government should be collecting rent and dedicating a portion of it to fish and wildlife conservation. Activities such as ecotourism, wildlife viewing, mining, heli-skiing, oil and gas, and logging should all contribute to natural resource conservation